Spent the run up, roost and run off of the tide on the shell bank going through the Barwit and Red Knot flocks. After this I walked out on to the area of inter-tidal mudflats and spent some time with a family party of Variable Oystercatchers. Above shows an adult male, dark morph. The photo below shows a dark morph juvenile.
Photo above shows a pied morph juvenile bird which is from the same family group. I guess for there to be both dark and pied morph chicks from the same adults which are both dark morph must mean that some-where along the genetical chain there was an adult Pied morph involved.
Photo above shows a dark morph adult female and the dark morph chick feeding together with the below image showing another dark morph adult bird along the shell bank ridge a few days back. This is the first species of wader I have seen that has a 2-3 morph plumage, light, intermediate & dark. I don't think there is any other species of wader that has a 2-3 morph range within it's genetics, is there ?
